Hand Pulled Strudel Dough

Hand Pulled Strudel Dough

Prep Time: 0

Yield: 0

Hand Pulled Strudel Dough

Ingredients

3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 tablespoon canola oil, plus extra for brushing

Instructions

1. Combine unsifted flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Put eggs and oil in a 2-cup measuring cup, add enough warm water to make a total of 1 1/4 cups (10 fluid ounces), then mix well with a fork. Stir the liquid mixture all at once into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula. The dough should be fairly soft.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Pick up the dough, and throw it down forcefully against the surface. Fold it back on itself, and detach it from the surface with a metal spatula or bench scraper. Repeat about 100 times, or until the dough, which starts out sticky, is smooth and elastic. After each 20 strokes, gently knead the dough a few times, and add a bit of flour so that it is easy to handle. Keep the work surface lightly floured, adding more as needed.

3. Oil a small mixing bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it over so that the dough is lightly coated. Press plastic wrap against the doughÂ’s surface, and let it rest at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. (Refrigerate the dough if it is to be held for more than 8 hours; let it return to room temperature before proceeding with steps 4 and 5).

4. To stretch the dough, cover a rectangular counter or table (30 inches by 48 inches is ideal) with a tablecloth or sheet; flour it generously. Place the dough in the center of the cloth, making sure not to fold the dough when removing it from the bowl. Lightly flour the dough, and roll it as thin as possible (about 2 feet in diameter) with a rolling pin. While rolling, occasionally rotate the dough. Brush the surface of the dough with oil to prevent it from drying out while it is being handled.

5. Pull the dough from the center outward, stretching it over your fists. Continue to pull it out from the center and move around the perimeter of the dough. Once the dough gets large enough, anchor one end over the edge of the counter and pull from the other direction. When the dough is transparent, paper-thin, and covers the table, trim away the thick edges with scissors. Should the dough tear, patch it with excess from the edges. Let the dough dry for 5 to 10 minutes.